


Kam Oneshots

by ElectricSpinz



Category: Keeper of the Lost Cities Series - Shannon Messenger
Genre: Bisexual Biana, Bisexual Keefe, Bisexual Sophie, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, First Kiss, Fluff, Gay Tam, I love them ok, Lesbian Linh, Love Confessions, Love Letters, M/M, Pansexual Fitz, Rivals to Frenemies to Lovers, Rivals to Lovers, Sharing a Bed, Some pining, bisexual dex, i write these as a coping mechanism, i'm hyperfixating, kam is how i cope, kam peaked there tbh, my favorite boys, thank you shannon for legacy, these next ones are sorta irrelevant but, they own my whole heart, what would my life even be without them
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-05
Updated: 2019-12-19
Packaged: 2021-01-05 20:23:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21214541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElectricSpinz/pseuds/ElectricSpinz
Summary: I'm hyperfixated on these two and there's not enough content on them. Someone's gotta make more, and it may as well be me. Dunno how long this'll end up being but I love Kam a ton so...





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Also don't come at me with "but this didn't happen because of Legacy" because this is posted literally the day Legacy came out and I don't have my copy yet and I've been writing this for a couple weeks now. If you get upset because it's not accurate to Legacy, heck off.

"This is the day I die, you guys." Keefe announced as he stepped into Foxfire's library. Aside from his friends, excluding Tam and Linh, it was completely empty, with everyone else checking their thinking caps and going home for the day.

"Wait, you actually did it?" Biana gasped. Keefe's only response was a long groan. Sophie laughed and wrapped her arms around him.

"I'm so proud of you!" She grinned. She wasn't lying; Keefe could feel her pride and happiness fill the air. It made him feel a little bit better, but still...

"This was a terrible idea." He whined.

"It's awesome, seriously." Fitz said, stepping over to clap Keefe on the back. "Besides, no going back now."

Keefe sighed, hating that Fitz was right. He'd already placed the note into Tam's thinking cap. A note containing the slowly growing feelings he'd had for Tam for the last year. It was Biana's idea, actually. When he first started toying with the idea of telling Tam about his monster crush on him, Keefe told his friends everything, which was painfully awkward to talk about, but he'd had no idea what to do. This crush was driving him up the wall, he'd needed to vent. Somehow, they managed to convince him to write the note. It took weeks for Keefe to actually get the guts to give it to Tam, but now he actually did it. And the regret was _really_ hitting hard. He just wanted to crawl into a hole and stay there for the next thousand years.

He had no way to back out.

_Unless..._

"You know what, I'm not ready to face The Wrath of Bangs Boy. Maybe he hasn't seen it yet." Keefe started heading back to the doors.

"Oh no, you are _not_ chickening out this time. You're so close!" Biana exclaimed. She attempted to block the doors, but Keefe was already there.

"If this makes me a chicken, then I'm a proud, gorgeous chicken." He winked at her and pulled open the doors. "I'm going to go get that letter back before he- SHIT!"

Something crashed into his side and sent him toppling over, his head smacking into one of the doors on the way down to the floor.

"Ow...goddamn..." Keefe grumbled as he sat up, rubbing the aching spot on the side of his head and hissing a bit in pain.

"Tam! Be more careful!" Someone scolded. The voice sounded just like Linh.

Wait. She called out for Tam?

Oh, shit.

When Keefe looked up, Tam was standing right there in front of him. This was getting way too cliche, and Keefe did not know how to feel about that. On top of that, he also had no idea what to say. He couldn't just say nothing, he'd look stupid. He needed to bring on that Keefe Sencen Charm, but he was completely and utterly tongue-tied.

_Oh god, gay panic gay panic gay panic gay panic. Say something, stupid!_

"What's the rush, Bangs Boy? Run out of soul extract for your hair?" Keefe tried with an awkward chuckle.

_I'm in danger._ He thought to himself. _Good job, Sencen. Real smooth._

"You and I need to talk." Tam sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets and narrowing his eyes at the rest of their friends. "Alone."

Keefe nodded and stood, the pit of dread in his stomach preventing him from cracking another joke. "If we're talking alone, let's try the courtyard. No one should be there right now."

They walked through the hallways of Foxfire in silence. Keefe spent the walk praying this wasn't about the note and imagining the millions of ways this could all go terribly because he was absolutely certain it was definitely about the note. No matter what, this would definitely be the awkwardest thing ever. Rejection was a highly likely outcome. Tam would probably start hating him again, and the thought of that did _not_ help the queasiness he was feeling.

Keefe felt ready to keel over and vomit by the time they reached the stone courtyard.

"So, what's up Emo Nightmare?" He asked, relieved by the steadiness in his voice as he casually leaned on a tree. Tam said nothing, very obviously avoiding any and all eye contact.

_Keep it cool, keep it cool. God, who gave him the right to look like that? Who let him look that good!?_

"Look, if you're _still_ all Mr. Grumpypants over me winning that prank war last month, then I'm sorry you're a sore loser. I'm always up for a rematch, of course." He continued with a wink. "Unless you're too scared, then I understand. I'm the Prank Lord, after all. I'd win faster than you can say Great Gulon Incide-"

"I read your note." Tam interrupted, still facing away.

"Oh." Keefe said quietly. He knew this was coming, but it still felt like everything in him went into overdrive. His face went up in flames. His heart sped up, faster than it ever had before. He folded his arms across his chest like they were going to protect it from breaking out. When Tam finally turned to face him, Keefe averted his gaze. Despite that, he could feel silvery blue eyes staring right at him.

"Was it real?" Tam's question surprised Keefe.

"What?"

"Was it real," Tam repeated. "or just another prank?"

"Real. The whole thing was real." He answered, looking away again.

"So...you really meant it, then..." Tam muttered, eyes widening as he took a step back.

"Yeah." Keefe nodded.

"Ah."

Silence. Silence, silence, and more silence. Keefe didn't know how much longer he could stand it. He was a nervous wreck. He quietly prayed for Tam to say something, anything. Just turn him down already, before he went nuts.

"I...don't know what to say." Tam said as he slowly approached the tree and stood next to Keefe.

"Say what you feel. Whatever that is." Keefe replied, moving his hands down to his sides to drum his fingers against his leg nervously. "Just get it over with, before I explode."

"I'm gonna be real with you here, I have no idea what to say to you. So I won't say anything." Keefe was about to protest, when he felt a pair of gentle hands wrap slowly around his right one. Tam's hands. Were they shaking? "I'll just let your ability do the talking for me."

Keefe's eyebrows furrowed. "What are you-"

"Shhh, shhh. Just shut up for once." Tam whispered. "You feel that?"

It took a few moments. One to sort out the various emotions that Tam was feeling, and a couple more to realize what they all meant combined. Keefe felt Tam's cold fear, shaky and unsure. Keefe felt Tam's joy, reminding him of little silver bells. Most importantly, he never knew that Tam could feel so...fluttery. And _warm_. Warmer than any emotion Keefe had ever felt. It felt like the sun. Warm like a crackling fireplace in winter. Warm and fuzzy were definitely high up on the list of words that Keefe never thought he'd use to describe him.

Tam loved him.

More than friends.

Finally, he had the courage to turn his head and look at Tam with his ice blue eyes as wide as dinner plates, then away again. Back at him again, then away. Back, away, back, away. Tam was looking away from him, but still looking at him out of the corners of his eye. His beautiful face was a dark, dark red, and he was nervously chewing his bottom lip. Keefe tore his free hand through his messy blonde hair and sighed deeply, still having trouble believing it.

"You get it now?" Tam asked, anxiously tugging his bangs downwards. Adorable.

"Yeah. Yeah, I get it." Keefe responded, a smile slowly growing on his face. He waited a moment, before beginning to chuckle. "You liiiiiike me~."

"Oh my god, you-...shut up." He growled, shoving a hand into his pocket. But even then, Tam slowly twined the fingers on his remaining hand around Keefe's, who laughed and reciprocated. Despite Tam trying to _look_ annoyed, Keefe felt a short burst of tingles shoot up his arm, and he started laughing all over again. It wasn't even that funny, but he was just so happy. The more he laughed, the more it happened, and the cycle repeated. Tam shut his eyes and pleaded for Keefe to stop, completely flustered.

"Aw, why would I do that, Tammy? Clearly you think it's cute. Can't lie to an Empath." Keefe teased and briefly held up their hands, bringing on another giggle fit when Tam punched him lightly in the arm. When he finally calmed down and caught his breath, his legs were weak and wobbly. "And to think that I was about to go take back the note."

"Wait, you were?" Tam's mood became colder. Keefe realized he was nervous. "Why?"

"Oh no, no, no, I wasn't going to take it back because I wasn't into you anymore! I promise, it wasn't that." Keefe exclaimed. "I was just freaking out. You're not exactly sunshine and rainbows, Shade Boy. Plus, we argue and annoy the shit out of each other all the time, but we were just starting to get somewhere. I thought that if you saw the note, we'd go right back to square one. And I really, _really_ didn't want that."

"Well...I'm glad you didn't." He sounded surprisingly tender, saying that. A shadow of a smile was even pulling at his lips, and it did things to Keefe's heart. This was officially his new favorite day.

_Bangs Boy...being soft. I might scream._

"Oh, and by the way...I'm definitely not sunshine," Tam started, his face returning to its usual scowl, held up their still-intertwined hands, and continued. "But I am _plenty_ rainbow, thank you very much."

Keefe laughed hard at that. His sides still ached from his earlier laughter fit, but he didn't mind. Especially when Tam began to laugh too. It started as a quiet chuckle, and then it grew and grew until he too was bent over, laughing as hard and loudly as Keefe himself. He even laughed so hard that he snorted, which was almost too cute for Keefe to process as they laughed even harder at it. They were practically in tears by the time their laughter died down to quiet giggles. They took a moment to catch their breaths, wide smiles fading when they regained their composure to look up and see their friends staring at them from the entrance a few feet away.

"...Way to ruin a moment, you guys." Keefe complained as Tam quickly yanked his hand away and tried to hide his once again flaming face.

"We came to check on you. Pretty much all of the students went home and we got tired of waiting. You were taking forever." Dex said with a teasing smile. "And now I think I know why."

Now it was Keefe's turn to blush again, especially when he saw the looks the rest of his friends were giving the two of them.

Sophie was all smiles, bouncing on her heels with excitement radiating from her. Biana appeared to be holding back screams of joy as she jumped up and down with glee and fanning her face. Fitz was giving "the look". And Linh...looked like she was about to cry. Tam looked to her with a look of concern, silently asking her if she was okay. She nodded, tears welling up in her silvery blue eyes.

"I'm alright. It's just...I've never heard Tam laugh that way before. He looked so happy that I just..." That made her actually start crying. She smiled and wiped her cheek on her sleeve as she stepped toward Keefe. "Thank you."

"Linh..." Tam murmured as he draped an arm around her and pulled her close. Linh giggled and hugged him tight, a few more tears falling from her eyes.

"We should all probably start going home. School's closing." She said when the tears stopped, releasing her grip.

"You go on ahead, we'll catch up in a minute." Tam replied, a hand still on her shoulder. Linh raised an eyebrow at him and smirked, and the rest of their friends chuckled.

"Oooooooooh, get it Tam!" Biana called, smirking when she received a glare from the dark haired boy.

"Ohh, I see." Linh teased, poking his cheeks as they flushed again, and he rolled his eyes at her. "I'll head to Tiergan's, take your time. See you there! You better tell me everything!"

"Like I wouldn't!" Tam shouted back as she brought her leaping crystal up to the light. Everyone else said their goodbyes and congratulations, and Biana gave the both of them a quick hug before they all went home, leaving Keefe and Tam by themselves once again.

"So why exactly are we still staying here?" Keefe asked, absentmindedly kicking a small rock on the stone ground.

"Well, I just wanted to get something straight-" Tam started to answer.

"Yeah, good luck with that." Keefe interrupted with a wink. Tam paused, giving him a very unimpressed look, although Keefe saw his lips twitch briefly from a held back smile.

"I wanted to get something _clarified_." He continued, narrowing his eyes.

"And that would be...?"

"What are we now? Are we going to take this slowly, or..." Tam scratched the back of his neck and shifted his weight. Keefe thought about this for a moment, before coming up with his reply.

"I'm all in if you are, Bangs Boy. Let's, uh...let's give the boyfriend thing a try." Keefe proposed, taking Tam's hand and shuddering at the intense amount of electricity from it that shot through his entire body, especially his heart, as Tam nodded silently and stepped closer. "Alright, let's get going before we get kicked out. As much as I'd love to stay, I'm sure Linh is dying to hear about how adorable you think I am, so I won't keep her...waiting..." Right then, he felt something warm and soft pressed to his left cheek, causing him to trail off as he finished his sentence. Something that made his breath hitch and eyes grow wide.

_T...Tam's lips...Tam's lips...Tam's lips Tam's lips Tam's lips Tam'slipsTam'slipsTam'slipsTam'slips! THOSE ARE TAM'S LIPS AND THEY ARE ON MY FACE!!!_

Keefe thought he was going to die right then and there. His heart and stomach were fluttering so hard from the combined emotions of him and his boyfriend.

His boyfriend. Wow, that felt...indescribably awesome.

Tam pulled away slowly, Keefe still in shock. Cliche as it was, he couldn't help but raise a hand to softly touch his cheek where he'd been kissed. Tam looked around, seemingly unsure of what to say, then just waved goodbye awkwardly and said, "See you later, you rat bastard." before light leaping away.

Hours later in his bedroom at the Shores of Solace, Keefe couldn't help but smile dreamily as he stared at the ceiling, thinking of what happened in the courtyard. He already missed how Tam's hand felt in his.

"I never thought I'd _ever_ say this," Keefe said to himself quietly. "but I can't _wait_ to get back to school."


	2. Chapter 2 (LEGACY SPOILERS)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back to more of my garbage. Shannon really watered my brain crops with that Kam content in Legacy, so here we go y'all.

The darkness was nice. The darkness let him rest better than he ever had before. He couldn't even remember the last time he slept this well. All there was was himself, the warmth, the darkness, and the silence.

_I'm sorry..._

What was that? Who was talking?

_I didn't want to..._

Ugh, could they stop? He was trying to get his beauty sleep!

_Why won't you wake up, Keefe? It's been weeks. Wake up already, you fucking idiot!_

Those words pulled something in him. Pulled his mind up and up and up, away from the warmth, his safe spot. No, he wanted to stay! Their voice was hurting his head, and when other voices began to hum and buzz in the background it hurt a million times worse. A stabbing, stabbing pain. 

The first voice was calling his name. This someone...their voice...it felt special. He loved that voice. It belonged to someone who made him happy. Someone he couldn't wait to see again. And so he now chased the voice willingly, quickly, excitedly. And then...

Light.

Blinding light, burning his eyes. Keefe covered his eyes with his arm, groaning.

"Keefe!" A boy called to him. Tam! Keefe gasped and shot up from his bed, immediately regretting that decision as the blood rushed to his head way too fast and he fell back onto his bed.

"Easy there, easy. This is the first time you've been awake in weeks. You shouldn't be getting too active just yet." A second voice told him. The voice belonged to Elwin, who was currently flashing various orbs around his head. Keefe nodded, looking around the room. He was, for the millionth time, in the Healing Center. Bullhorn was somewhere in the room. And right next to his bed on a chair was Tam, his silver blue eyes red and puffy. Linh was standing behind him, a few tears streaming down her face as she stared at Keefe in amazement. The second that Keefe locked eyes with Tam, the Shade released a choking sob, fresh tears pouring out.

"Keefe, I'm so, so sorry! And I...I know you said you don't blame me, but...I'm just so sorry!" He cried, chest heaving with every sob. It made Keefe's heart ache. Tam shouldn't be the one crying.

"No no no no, stop apologizing..." Keefe whispered, his voice hoarse and weak. Linh stepped away for a moment, jogging back with a Bottle of Youth in hand, holding it to his lips. Keefe drank it as quickly as he could, giving Linh a 'thank you' nod. "Could Tam and I have some space?" Elwin seemed hesitant, but Linh was able to convince him to leave on the grounds that Keefe would call him back the second he felt anything weird or painful, to which Keefe agreed. "This isn't on you." He told Tam as soon as they were gone.

"But-"

"No buts, Bangs Boy." Keefe interrupted, holding up a hand. "Remember how I told you that I don't blame you back in Loamnore? That still stands." He reached over to take Tam's hand in his own, sighing when he still felt loads of guilt.

Tam chewed his lip and looked away. "I still did that to you. Whether or not I was being controlled, that doesn't change the fact that it still happened."

"Look," Keefe said, sitting up and firmly cupping Tam's face in his hands, staring him dead in the eyes. "I will tell you this as many times as you need to hear it. I'm not stopping or letting go of you until I feel that pit in your stomach go away. This was _her_ fault. It is _not_ on you. You did everything you could. This wasn't your fault. This wasn't your fault. This wasn't your fault." 

Keefe repeated the words so many times he lost count, but eventually he felt Tam become convinced. Even so...he didn't want to let go. It had been _so long_ since he'd been able to talk to this boy outside of dangerous situations. Such a long time, pining, _yearning_ for Tam. And now he was here, letting Keefe cradle his face, cheeks still damp although he had stopped crying a while ago. Keefe's heart thrummed against his chest as he realized how close they were now, how Tam still wasn't pulling away. His feelings for Tam in that moment were so, so strong. Maybe it was the whole 'almost dying' thing. Maybe it was finally being with him after so long. Or maybe it was both. Whatever it was...

"You know what? I can't take this anymore, Tammy Boy. I like you way too much." The words were out before Keefe could stop them. Slowly, he allowed himself to lean towards Tam. Closer, closer. Their faces were so close that he could feel Tam's breath. 

Judging by his emotions, Tam knew what he was about to do. Tam's heart was pounding, pounding, pounding. Pounding with excitement. Even so, as he closed his eyes, Tam very quietly began to murmur, "What are you doing...?"

And then their lips met. It was very brief, very gentle. They had barely brushed each other before they separated. And yet, it was electrifying, leaving them both wanting more. Almost immediately their lips found each other again, and they both absolutely melted into the kiss. Keefe felt Tam grab onto the sleeves of his red tunic, then slid upwards to hold his shoulders. The Shade's emotions were exploding with happiness so overwhelming that Keefe almost got a bit choked up. Tam was really this happy to be kissing him, huh? It made Keefe feel slightly panicked; he needed to show Tam that he was feeling the same amount of joy.

Keefe pulled away slightly to scoot closer, and took one of Tam's hands, pressing it to his heart. The two of them locked eyes, silently communicating their affection, then leaned in a third time to kiss each other softly. Words were unnecessary. 

Weeks passed. No one could figure out what the transformation did to Keefe. Not Elwin, not Sophie, not Forkman, not even himself. All they knew was that he felt _different_, but no one was able to put a finger on just what it was that had changed. Aside from that, despite the time that had passed, everyone was still feeling a little bit shaken from everything that happened in Loamnore, which is why Dex called in an emergency slumber party at Rimeshire. A night to relax, a night to be kids for once. A night for baking pastries. A night for teasing Sophie, Linh, and Biana, who got the courage to confess their feelings for one another after Keefe and Tam started dating. A night for binge watching some human TV show Sophie never got to finish before leaving the forbidden cities, thanks to Dex and his Technopath tricks. A night for Keefe to silently tease Fitz once he figured out that his best friend had a crush on the strawberry blonde boy. A night that ended with Keefe curled up comfortably under the covers alone in one of Rimeshire's guest rooms. He was the only one that wasn't sharing a room with someone else, but he was fine with that. Rimeshire made him feel safe.

The same couldn't be said for Tam.

He'd knocked on Keefe's door sometime very late at night. He was fiddling with his bangs when Keefe opened the door; something was wrong.

"Alright, Mr. Mopey. Come on in." Keefe said, stepping aside to let Tam in, who only nodded silently and walked inside, sitting down in the middle of the floor. Keefe's couldn't help but smile when he noticed that Tam was wearing his Batman t-shirt. Plopping down next to him, he smirked and asked, "Couldn't resist the Keefster, huh Bangs Boy?" Tam's lips twitched and he rolled his eyes, but Keefe didn't need Empathy to know that he wasn't okay. Now he was _really_ starting to worry about him. "Are you feeling guilty again? Because I can and will remind you that the only person to blame is Mommy Dearest."

Tam sighed and shook his head. "It's not that. Not this time. It's just..." He paused to take a deep, shaky breath. "I haven't told anyone, not even Linh, but...I've been having nightmares."

"About?" Keefe asked, his voice softening. Tam looked up, eyes closed.

"Everything. Everything that happened while I was..." His voice trailed off.

"...with the Neverseen?" Keefe finished for him, and Tam pressed his lips together and nodded. "Do you want to talk about it? I swear on Mrs. Stinkbottom that I won't say a word to anyone." Tam nodded, and Keefe waited for him to speak, which took a few minutes.

"I can still feel the bonds." Tam started, staring at his wrists. When he continued, his voice was dripping with venom. "It was more than being their prisoner, Keefe. You heard Gisela. I was...a pet. Not a person. A thing. A little pet that did everything they wanted. I don't know what's fucking me up worse; losing control of my body, or the sheer humiliation of the whole thing. And even if I can hold off the guilt from what they made me do to you, it doesn't change how _horrifying_ it was to watch." His voice was breaking, and he was shaking _hard._ "It's haunting me, I had a fucked up dream, and then I was walking down the hall to you, and all I can think about is the way your face looked on that throne, or how any second now they'll come to take me back, because that's just what they do." 

Keefe was silent, trying to think of what to say. Humor was his go-to when it came to dealing with problems, but there was no way he was going to even attempt to make a joke from this. Not when Tam was shaking like this, with his eyes shut tight and gritting his teeth. So he just pulled Tam close, both for comfort and to try and gauge his emotions. 

It was _intense._ It felt like ice and snow was rushing, rushing, rushing through his veins. The fear was getting ahead of Tam; he was spiraling quickly, shaking so hard in Keefe's arms that he shook too. Keefe had to ground him back in reality, but how? He had no idea, so he just let his reflexes guide him. He rubbed Tam's back in slow circles, but it wasn't working. Instead, he brought a hand up to run it through Tam's dark, silver-tipped locks, and gently rocked him back and forth. This method was much more effective, to Keefe's relief. It only took a few minutes for Tam's shaking to slow to a quiver, and then to disappear completely. His jaw relaxed, and his breaths sounded much more steady. The icy blizzard of terror slowed and warmed, until Tam's emotions felt like a warm summer breeze. 

"I gotcha. No matter what happens, I gotcha." Keefe murmured, pressing a kiss on the top of his head. 

"Promise?" Tam's voice was hardly a whisper.

"Promise." Keefe assured, pressing his forehead to Tam's. 

"I still don't think I want to go back to the other room." He said, tugging on his bangs. 

Keefe raised his eyebrows and snickered. "Just what are you playing at, Bangs Boy?" He teased.

"Ugh, you're so annoying!" Tam groaned, scooting away from Keefe and glaring. Keefe wasn't bothered, he knew that this was just Tam feeling flustered. "That's not what I meant and you know it."

"There's my Grumpy Tammy!" Keefe laughed and poked Tam's cheek, who quietly grumbled something about Keefe being lucky he liked him so much.

"_Anyway,_ seriously this time. Can I stay? I can take the floor." Tam asked, reaching to yank his hair again.

"Uh, nuh-uh. There is _no_ way I'm letting you sleep on the floor after that. Come on up." Keefe answered, standing up and flopping onto the bed and patting the spot next to him. Tam hesitated, but then he too climbed in and got settled. 

"Night." Was the only thing he said before shutting his eyes. In a matter of minutes, Tam's mouth was hanging open, his body completely relaxed. Keefe was still wide awake.

"You fall asleep fast, Bangs Boy." Keefe said, mostly to himself.

He nearly jumped when Tam's eyes opened immediately after he spoke, and he said, "I'm still awake, dumbass."

"Oh, do you do the whole 'lying-awake-thinking-about-your-amazingly-good-looking-boyfriend' thing too?" Keefe teased with a smirk.

Tam rolled his eyes and gave an annoyed huff, but he scooted closer, surprising Keefe by wrapping his arms around his chest. "I hate you, you absolute gremlin." He mumbled. Keefe began to laugh quietly, but then he noticed something. 

Tam was still feeling unsafe.

To Keefe's relief, it was nowhere near the levels of terror that he'd been experiencing earlier. Calming him down would be much easier this time around.

"I'm right here. I gotcha, remember?" He repeated, bringing his hand to the base of Tam's neck and up to his hair once more and moving his fingers up and down, gently scratching at his scalp. Tam breathed a sigh of relaxation as he closed his eyes and held Keefe closer, nuzzling into his neck and making a small, content "mm" sound. Tam snuggling was never something Keefe had expected, but definitely something he could get used to. He thought he was going to die right then and there. Tam's unease faded, but he stayed in Keefe's embrace. Keefe refused to fall sleep until Tam was sleeping soundly, for real this time, so he felt really relieved that Tam was finally starting to fall asleep.

As he started to doze off, Tam yawned, and whispered, "Love you. Fucker."

If Keefe wasn't blushing before, he sure as hell was now. 

Tam said the first I Love You.

Somehow, through the gay panic and thoughts of _HE'S SO CUTE,_ Keefe managed to speak.

"I love you too, Bangs Boy."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so technically I already uploaded this in my other work, but I'm deleting that just...just because it's pretty disorganized. But I didn't wanna lose this lil gem, so I'm putting it here! I promise I'm brainstorming for a new one, school's just,,,,,fucking me up a whole lot lately. Gotta love being a high school senior with ADHD and depression amirite? Anyway, enjoy!

Another night of staring at the ceiling.

Not even a Foster-Keefe sleepover could take Keefe's mind off of him. Keefe sighed quietly, frustrated. No matter what he did, he couldn't stop thinking about a certain boy. A certain boy with silvery blue eyes and a haircut that screamed "annoying edgelord". Stupid Bangs Boy, keeping him awake again.

Keefe didn't even know when it started, but it had been going on for a while now.

Last month, Tam laughed at one of his jokes. Not a chuckle, but a full blown _burst_ of beautiful _laughter_. Keefe never forgot it. Or, to be more accurate, he always remembered it. Against his will. Just like he always remembered the way the corners of his eyes crinkled on the rare occasion that he'd smile. Just like he always remembered the way his silver-tipped bangs swayed in the wind. It was getting really annoying.

Keefe was starting to suspect that his photographic memory wasn't the only reason he remembered these details so clearly.

But what other reason would it be? Spite, probably. He always felt this intense...spark, whenever someone even mentioned Tam's name. And when Tam would walk into the room, Keefe felt what he could only describe as an explosion, and then his heart jackhammered against his chest. But it was pleasant. Linh was always with Tam, so maybe Keefe had feelings for her and was just mixing up his emotions? If that was the case, why was Tam always on his mind instead?

_..._

Oh.

Keefe shot up from his sleeping bag with a jolt of realization

_Oh. Oh no._

"I think I have a crush on Tam." Keefe said to Sophie, eyes wide. His friend groaned a sleepy "what?", but Keefe simply repeated, "I think I have a crush on Tam."

Sophie was sitting up now with a blonde mess of bedhead, tired and confused, but paying attention. He turned his head and looked back at her, still trying to grasp this...situation.

"Foster."

"Go on, I'm listening." Sophie yawned. "So...Tam? I thought you hated him."

"So did I! He's so annoying! But I just...Ugh!" Keefe let himself dramatically fall back on his sleeping bag and covered his face with his arms, trying to hide the redness creeping to his face. This was so stupid. "He's annoying, and stupid, and don't even get me started on the edge, but...I want to be around him all the time."

His face burned even hotter when Sophie made a noise that sounded something like a quiet mouse squeal. He moved his arms away from his eyes to give her his best death glare.

"This is adorable." She smiled, holding Ella to her chest.

"Pfft. Yeah, sure." Keefe snorted, sitting up again. "Maybe it would be, except for one pretty big detail."

"What is it?"

Keefe sighed, looking up at the ceiling and trying to figure out how to word this. "I...I'm pretty sure I don't like guys? And I know, that sounds stupid because I literally just told you that I get butterflies for Bangs Boy, but I never felt any sort of...anything for any other guys before...Wait, no, I remember thinking Fitz was _really_ cute when I was twelve, but I get a pass on that because _everyone_ knows that Fitz is gorgeous, right? Maybe this is just me being dumb or a phase or something. I dunno. I'm word vomiting here, Foster."

"Keefe..." Sophie said gently, sliding off of her bed to sit next to Keefe. "This is new to you. There's no rush to figure out who you are."

"I just don't know what I am now. And that, Foster, is a really weird and scary feeling. You know what that's like, Madame Mysterious Destiny."

"Yeah, I do. And yeah, it sucks. But you're gonna figure it out." Sophie chuckled quietly, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. "All that matters right now is that you like someone. You don't need to label yourself to be valid."

"You're truly a beacon of wisdom." Keefe said, her words pulling his lips into a soft smile. "Seriously, though. Thanks. I really appreciate that. I feel a lot better now. Still really weird, but better."

They sat in comfortable silence for a little while, until Sophie began to laugh quietly.

"You should totally let me wingman for you." She joked, still laughing.

"Aaaand now we're done with this conversation. Go to bed, Matchmaker Sophie." Keefe responded, smacking Sophie with a pillow as his cheeks started to turn pink again. Her laughter continued as she climbed back up into her bed, and he chucked it at her.

"Well, now you're not getting this back. Have fun sleeping without a pillow, lover boy."

"Whatever. Night, Foster."

His heart felt warm, despite the teasing. He smiled gently and closed his eyes, falling asleep easily for the first time in a while.


End file.
